REDWOOD CITY — The husband of a woman who died three years ago in a horrific limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge is taking on one of the country’s biggest automakers in a wrongful-death suit, alleging that the Ford Motor Co. knew of dangers in the type of car in which his wife and four others died.

“Ford knew there were problems 15 years ago,” said William Smith, the lawyer for Aldrin Geronga, whose wife, Felomina Geronga, 43, was trapped in the blaze, which occurred on May 5, 2013.

Aldrin Geronga is the last plaintiff remaining in a case that began with four survivors of the fire and the families of the five dead women who sued a host of companies but have all settled out of court. Ford is the only remaining defendant. San Mateo Superior Court Judge Marie Weiner canceled testimony Monday because a juror was sick.

Investigators blamed the fire on a “catastrophic failure” of the suspension system of the 1999 converted Lincoln Town Car that caused its drive shaft to rub on the vehicle’s undercarriage, causing sparks and friction that started the fire in the rear of the passenger compartment.

Smith said outside of court that the case centers on allegations that Ford knew of a flaw in the Town Car that could cause a suspension collapse and the drivetrain to scrape on the undercarriage.

“They should never, ever touch,” he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Ford lawyer Frank Kelly said the company “regrets the tragic loss of life in this accident.”

But, he said that when another company converted the car into a stretch limousine, it was meant to carry only six passengers.

Instead, through multiple owners it was “ultimately used to transport more than six and up to 10 passengers on a regular basis for more than 10 years. While we are saddened by this tragedy, it resulted from misuse of the vehicle and a series of events outside of Ford’s control.”

The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates limos in the state, approved it to carry eight passengers, plus the driver.

The car was carrying nine passengers the night of the fire. The commission fined the car’s owner, Limo Stop, $20,000 for being over the limit, but reduced that amount to $5,000 on appeal.

Four women escaped by crawling to the driver’s seat through a small partition. But Felomina Geronga and four others, Jennifer Balon, 39, of Dublin; Michelle Estrera, 35, of Fresno; Anna Alcantara, 46, of San Lorenzo; and Neriza Fojas, 31, of Monterey, didn’t make it out. The group was celebrating a bridal party for Fojas, who was scheduled to return to the Philippines for her wedding ceremony.

Driver Orville “Ricky” Brown, then of San Jose, has said one of the women yelled “smoke” several times, but he thought she was asking permission to smoke a cigarette. Smith said that he considers Brown to also be a victim of the fire and that the man could have done nothing to prevent the tragedy or save the women.

The women, all nurses, were friends on their way to the party in Foster City.

Smith said that one of the survivors, Amalia Loyola, is scheduled to testify Wednesday.

REDWOOD CITY — The husband of a woman who died three years ago in a horrific limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge is taking on one of the country’s biggest automakers in a wrongful-death suit, alleging that the Ford Motor Co. knew of dangers in the type of car in which his wife and four others died.

“Ford knew there were problems 15 years ago,” said William Smith, the lawyer for Aldrin Geronga, whose wife, Felomina Geronga, 43, was trapped in the blaze, which occurred on May 5, 2013.

Aldrin Geronga is the last plaintiff remaining in a case that began with four survivors of the fire and the families of the five dead women who sued a host of companies but have all settled out of court. Ford is the only remaining defendant. San Mateo Superior Court Judge Marie Weiner canceled testimony Monday because a juror was sick.

Investigators blamed the fire on a “catastrophic failure” of the suspension system of the 1999 converted Lincoln Town Car that caused its drive shaft to rub on the vehicle’s undercarriage, causing sparks and friction that started the fire in the rear of the passenger compartment.

Smith said outside of court that the case centers on allegations that Ford knew of a flaw in the Town Car that could cause a suspension collapse and the drivetrain to scrape on the undercarriage.

“They should never, ever touch,” he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Ford lawyer Frank Kelly said the company “regrets the tragic loss of life in this accident.”

But, he said that when another company converted the car into a stretch limousine, it was meant to carry only six passengers.

Instead, through multiple owners it was “ultimately used to transport more than six and up to 10 passengers on a regular basis for more than 10 years. While we are saddened by this tragedy, it resulted from misuse of the vehicle and a series of events outside of Ford’s control.”

The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates limos in the state, approved it to carry eight passengers, plus the driver.

The car was carrying nine passengers the night of the fire. The commission fined the car’s owner, Limo Stop, $20,000 for being over the limit, but reduced that amount to $5,000 on appeal.

Four women escaped by crawling to the driver’s seat through a small partition. But Felomina Geronga and four others, Jennifer Balon, 39, of Dublin; Michelle Estrera, 35, of Fresno; Anna Alcantara, 46, of San Lorenzo; and Neriza Fojas, 31, of Monterey, didn’t make it out. The group was celebrating a bridal party for Fojas, who was scheduled to return to the Philippines for her wedding ceremony.

Driver Orville “Ricky” Brown, then of San Jose, has said one of the women yelled “smoke” several times, but he thought she was asking permission to smoke a cigarette. Smith said that he considers Brown to also be a victim of the fire and that the man could have done nothing to prevent the tragedy or save the women.

The women, all nurses, were friends on their way to the party in Foster City.

Smith said that one of the survivors, Amalia Loyola, is scheduled to testify Wednesday.

REDWOOD CITY — The husband of a woman who died three years ago in a horrific limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge is taking on one of the country’s biggest automakers in a wrongful-death suit, alleging that the Ford Motor Co. knew of dangers in the type of car in which his wife and four others died.

“Ford knew there were problems 15 years ago,” said William Smith, the lawyer for Aldrin Geronga, whose wife, Felomina Geronga, 43, was trapped in the blaze, which occurred on May 5, 2013.

Aldrin Geronga is the last plaintiff remaining in a case that began with four survivors of the fire and the families of the five dead women who sued a host of companies but have all settled out of court. Ford is the only remaining defendant. San Mateo Superior Court Judge Marie Weiner canceled testimony Monday because a juror was sick.

Investigators blamed the fire on a “catastrophic failure” of the suspension system of the 1999 converted Lincoln Town Car that caused its drive shaft to rub on the vehicle’s undercarriage, causing sparks and friction that started the fire in the rear of the passenger compartment.

Smith said outside of court that the case centers on allegations that Ford knew of a flaw in the Town Car that could cause a suspension collapse and the drivetrain to scrape on the undercarriage.

“They should never, ever touch,” he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Ford lawyer Frank Kelly said the company “regrets the tragic loss of life in this accident.”

But, he said that when another company converted the car into a stretch limousine, it was meant to carry only six passengers.

Instead, through multiple owners it was “ultimately used to transport more than six and up to 10 passengers on a regular basis for more than 10 years. While we are saddened by this tragedy, it resulted from misuse of the vehicle and a series of events outside of Ford’s control.”

The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates limos in the state, approved it to carry eight passengers, plus the driver.

The car was carrying nine passengers the night of the fire. The commission fined the car’s owner, Limo Stop, $20,000 for being over the limit, but reduced that amount to $5,000 on appeal.

Four women escaped by crawling to the driver’s seat through a small partition. But Felomina Geronga and four others, Jennifer Balon, 39, of Dublin; Michelle Estrera, 35, of Fresno; Anna Alcantara, 46, of San Lorenzo; and Neriza Fojas, 31, of Monterey, didn’t make it out. The group was celebrating a bridal party for Fojas, who was scheduled to return to the Philippines for her wedding ceremony.

Driver Orville “Ricky” Brown, then of San Jose, has said one of the women yelled “smoke” several times, but he thought she was asking permission to smoke a cigarette. Smith said that he considers Brown to also be a victim of the fire and that the man could have done nothing to prevent the tragedy or save the women.

The women, all nurses, were friends on their way to the party in Foster City.

Smith said that one of the survivors, Amalia Loyola, is scheduled to testify Wednesday.

REDWOOD CITY — The husband of a woman who died three years ago in a horrific limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge is taking on one of the country’s biggest automakers in a wrongful-death suit, alleging that the Ford Motor Co. knew of dangers in the type of car in which his wife and four others died.

“Ford knew there were problems 15 years ago,” said William Smith, the lawyer for Aldrin Geronga, whose wife, Felomina Geronga, 43, was trapped in the blaze, which occurred on May 5, 2013.

Aldrin Geronga is the last plaintiff remaining in a case that began with four survivors of the fire and the families of the five dead women who sued a host of companies but have all settled out of court. Ford is the only remaining defendant. San Mateo Superior Court Judge Marie Weiner canceled testimony Monday because a juror was sick.

Investigators blamed the fire on a “catastrophic failure” of the suspension system of the 1999 converted Lincoln Town Car that caused its drive shaft to rub on the vehicle’s undercarriage, causing sparks and friction that started the fire in the rear of the passenger compartment.

Smith said outside of court that the case centers on allegations that Ford knew of a flaw in the Town Car that could cause a suspension collapse and the drivetrain to scrape on the undercarriage.

“They should never, ever touch,” he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Ford lawyer Frank Kelly said the company “regrets the tragic loss of life in this accident.”

But, he said that when another company converted the car into a stretch limousine, it was meant to carry only six passengers.

Instead, through multiple owners it was “ultimately used to transport more than six and up to 10 passengers on a regular basis for more than 10 years. While we are saddened by this tragedy, it resulted from misuse of the vehicle and a series of events outside of Ford’s control.”

The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates limos in the state, approved it to carry eight passengers, plus the driver.

The car was carrying nine passengers the night of the fire. The commission fined the car’s owner, Limo Stop, $20,000 for being over the limit, but reduced that amount to $5,000 on appeal.

Four women escaped by crawling to the driver’s seat through a small partition. But Felomina Geronga and four others, Jennifer Balon, 39, of Dublin; Michelle Estrera, 35, of Fresno; Anna Alcantara, 46, of San Lorenzo; and Neriza Fojas, 31, of Monterey, didn’t make it out. The group was celebrating a bridal party for Fojas, who was scheduled to return to the Philippines for her wedding ceremony.

Driver Orville “Ricky” Brown, then of San Jose, has said one of the women yelled “smoke” several times, but he thought she was asking permission to smoke a cigarette. Smith said that he considers Brown to also be a victim of the fire and that the man could have done nothing to prevent the tragedy or save the women.

The women, all nurses, were friends on their way to the party in Foster City.

Smith said that one of the survivors, Amalia Loyola, is scheduled to testify Wednesday.